Knox County IT Director Kyle Webb provided an update to the Knox County Board of Commissioners on May 13 regarding the completion of a two-year server migration for the county treasurer's office and the replacement of building access control systems.
According to a video recording of the meeting, Webb informed commissioners that the project involved migrating the main business software used by the treasurer's office. He said that the access control system has been replaced, with new cards programmed for use. Webb noted that starting fresh with the system allowed his team to avoid issues from the old system.
Webb also reported progress on installing new hardware for the 911 system, which requires significant time and effort due to extensive software and limited staffing capacity. Work can only proceed when fewer than five dispatchers are on duty.
Webb further mentioned ongoing challenges with computer replacements across various departments, as they continue to order more computers. A priority was set on installing new equipment at Hiawatha Water Park in Mount Vernon to facilitate staff training before its opening. Knox County provides IT services for Mount Vernon, and Webb indicated that they are sending the 2026 IT agreement to the city for review.
Additionally, Webb discussed a quote he received for battery backup equipment at the server level. While a main battery backup is installed, Spring Electric advised smaller units should be added due to potential delays in system recovery after power outages.
"The whole idea is that data can still get written and they can get safely shut down," Webb explained in reference to battery backups. "As opposed to its power cuts off right in the middle, it could corrupt databases and cause all kinds of issues and make the recovery process take a long time."
